ABC Cancels Drama Series

ABC has decided to pull the plug on a drama series after trying it out in a couple of different time slots and seeing it fail to gain ratings momentum. Deadline.com reports that the network canceled “Black Box.”

The show, which was originally announced as a limited series, has aired all 13 episodes produced for its first season. The drama starred Kelly Reilly as a neuroscientist who struggles with mental illness.

The series launched in the Thursday 10 p.m. slot, premiering with a modest 1.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic. It lost ground after a shift to the typically softer 8 p.m. slot, ending its run with a 0.7 rating in the demo.

11 Comments

What troubled it was the size of the potential appeal and audience. A very complex, intricate lead character who was for many, no doubt, difficult to witness each week.

High intelligence combined with a bi-polar condition aggravated by substance abuse is a volatile situation destined to very destructive behavior with, a more often than not, devastating, final human conclusion.

I know from personal experience with the sad demise of my second wife nearly thirty years ago.

I commend the programming folks at ABC for their willingness to air an extreme storyline that is, unfortunately, more common across humanity than is commonly known.

That it is cancelled is not a surprise for me considering the basic fact of low ratings. But, again, kudos to the production and ABC for venturing into the subject at all.
Peter Bright

ARE YOU KIDDING?
This has been an excellent T. V. series!!! You are glued to the show. How can it be cancelled after all those ‘mentally ill’ people that are coming out of the closet and facing with courage their ‘bipolar’, ‘pschizophrenia’ and more!
This show has given hope and has been an excellent role model for those people with mental illnesses. It encourages taking their medication and shows the effects/ behavior with and also without medication.
Don’t cancel!

I cant belive you sre cancelling black box. That shoh was one of the best I have seen in a while. Talks about mental illness. Not so much of murders that we see today. Real life stuff. Please bring it back.

Finally a show that deals with an intriguing female character who is brilliant and just happens to be bipolar. The story line each week was incredibly interesting as were the characters. The show dealt with complex psychological issues that made people actually think as well as be entertained. I guess ABC prefers to “dumb it down” for its audiences by putting on shows like Wipe Out instead. I am very disappointed that ABC couldn’t give the show a better time slot so it could be successful.

I hope another station picks it up.I’m bipolor and we need shows like these to lessen the stigma .most of us do take our meds the ones who don’t and the people that don’t even think it’s a illness. gives us a bad rep.It’s bad enough that insurance company don’t want to pay the doctors and therphy that makes me and I’m sure others are doing something or taking something and that if we go to behavior theraphy like we can change or prevent having this illness.well they couldn’t be further from the truth.I hate it too when people here I’m bipolor they change and find some reason not to come back around.so we need moves to show that some can live productive lives as long as we do take meds and not let the ones who don’t get it bother us,

Black Box was my absolute favorite show!!! What a wonderful breakthrough to have such an excellent actress as Kelly Reilly and to finally deal with bipolar. It’s wonderful to show how the pendulum can unfortunately swing when one does not take their meds yet it’s so true how one does not want to be slowed down when they have a near genius mentality. It is such a quandary and this show shows how complex the brain really is. This show should definitely NOT be canceled. It also has the great Vanessa Redgrave on and I’m sure she chooses her work carefully and would agree with me. I pray some intelligent network picks it up. And as far as ratings, I watch each week in the L.A. Times and ratings are good and getting better and better.

Loved it……keep it! So sick of NCIS and all crime dramas that focus on murder, or murder or murder. So refreshing to see a person struggling with mental issues yet not just surviving but thriving in this version of our soon to be a hopeless and frigid world.

I am very disappointed this series is ending. It deals with mental illness; which is ramped, and the stigma associated with it. The acting and story line was great. This is my favorite show and I am very sad to see it go. I hope the network will reconsider there decision.

A blockbuster rating does not necessarily equate to a great show, in terms of substance.
There are far too many low information viewers watching one dimensional programs.
Have these networks heard of niche markets? The same people who like Black Box, also enjoy other edgy, complex shows.
That’s why I’m glad I have Netflix!